Dispenser



Nov. 5, 1963 DAVIDSQN 3,109,427

DISPENSER Filed Jan. 9, 1961 INVENTOR. EMI L DAVlDSON 47'70E/VE Z5United States Patent 3,109,427 DISPENSER Emil Davidson, Scarsdale, N.Y.,assignor to Guild Molders, Ina, Elmsford, N.Y., a corporation of NewYork Filed Jan. 9, 1961, Ser. No. 81,624 6 Claims. (Cl. 128-261) Thisinvention relates to a device for dispensing paste material, and moreparticularly to a dispenser adapted to be secured on the neck of a tubecontaining therapeutic medicament and inserted into a body cavity so asto enable the application of the medication.

In the past, medicament applicators or dispensers have been availablewhich include a tapered body provided with a series of perforationstherein through which the pastelike medication may be squeezed from atube or other similar squeezable container. It is relatively expensiveto manufacture this type of a dispenser in that the apertures in thetapered body of the dispenser must be punched into the body in aseparate operation. Otherwise an expensive and time consuming moldingprocedure must be employed in which sliding pins are cammed into and outof the mold cavity which reduces the number of dispensers which can bemolded on a given machine during a predetermined period of time.

:It is an object of the present invention to provide a dispenser forpaste material which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture andconvenient for mass production manufacture by molding operation.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser forpaste materials which will provide for application of a relatively thintilm of a paste-like medication over the portion of the body cavity tobe treated thereby assuring a relatively large area application andeffective use of the medication.

When medication is forced into a dispenser of the type employed in thisinvention, as the medication progresses along the length of thedispenser and the pressure thereon will be decreased in that some of themedication will be forced or squeezed through the openings in the end ofthe tapered body of the dispenser near the tube. Thus, in the past mostof the material has been dispensed through the openings more closelyadjacent the tube or container end of the dispenser than at the remoteor far end thereof.

As a feature of the present invention, tapered openings are provided inthe body of the dispenser for assuring that substantially equal amountsof the medication will be applied in a sheet-like form along thesubstantial area of the body cavity being treated.

Prior dispensers usually employ relatively small punched out holes orapertures in the tapered body and accordingly various foreign matter inthe body cavity under treatment often plug or fill these holes andrequire the careful cleaning of the dispenser prior to further use.Because of the size of these holes, it is often difficult to properlyclean the dispenser. Use of the elongated slot or slots in accordancewith this invention overcomes this disadvantage and renders thedispenser more easily cleanable.

As a further feature of the present invention, the elongated slots inthe body of the dispenser open into the front end wall of the body ofthe dispenser thereby enabling the application of material forwardly oraxially of the dispenser without the necessity of additionally forming acentral opening in the front end wall. However, a central opening can beformed in the front end wall for further application of the desiredmedication forwardly and axially of the dispenser.

Still further objects and features of the invention reside in theprovision of a dispenser for use in combination with a squeezable tubeor other containers having therein 3,109,427 Patented Nov. 5, 1963 aquantity of paste material for insertion into the rectum or other bodycavity for treatment of hemorrhoids and various other disorders, whichdispenser is simple in construction, capable of being easilymanufactured out of various plastics, such as commercially availablepolystyrene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and the like, and whichis relatively inexpensive to manufacture thereby permitting wide use anddistribution.

The above brief description, as well as further objects, features andadvantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated byreference to the following detailed description of an illustrativeembodiment according to the present invention, when taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a dispenser embodying features of thepresent invention shown in position for engagement on the threaded neckof a squeezeable tube or container;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the dispenser shown. secured onthe threaded neck of the tube;

FIG. 3 is a rear end elevational view of the dispenser taken along theplane of line 33 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional detailed view taken along the plane of line 44 inFIG. 2, illustrating the transverse cross sectional shape of thedispenser.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2, but illustrating themanner in which the dispenser directs the pastelike material in films orsheets;

FIG. 6 is a sectional detail view on an enlarged scale of a modifiedform of the invention employing a central dispensing opening in thefront end wall; and

FIG. 7 is a partial elevational view of a further modified form ofdispenser in accordance with the invention.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawings wherein likereference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views,and with initial attention directed to FIGS. 1 through 4, the referencenumeral 10 generally designates a dispenser embodying features of thepresent invention which is adapted to be utilized in combination with asqueezable container 12. The squeezable container 12 is in the form of atube or other similar type of container and has a threaded neck 14through which the paste-like material in the container 12 is adapted tobe dispensed by squeezing the container 12.

The dispenser 10 includes a tapered body 16 which is preferably moldedof a synthetic plastic material, such as polyethelene. Of course, othermaterial such as polyvinyl chloride or polystyrene may be used, but ithas been found that polyethelene has requisite flexibility and may beformed either translucent or transparent so that the amount of pas-telike material within the dispenser 10* can be readily viewed. The body16 is of a conical. shape and tapers towards a preferably rounded frontend wall 18 from a relatively wider rear end 20 which is provided withsomewhat thickened walls providing a collar 22 which is internallythreaded at 24. Preferably, the outer periphery of the collar 22 isknurled or provided with suitable thumb grooves 26 therein forfacilitating the grasping and rotation of the dispenser 10. Integrallywith the collar 24 of the body 16 is a handle 28 which will enable thedispenser 10 to be easily rotated on and oif the threaded neck =14 ofthe container 12.

The body 16 tapers from its widest portion adjacent the collar 22towards the front end wall 18 so as to be narrowest adjacent the frontend wall 18. The front end wall may be provided with a depression .30therein, or alternatively, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 6 may beprovided with a central dispensing opening 60.

A plurality of elongated relatively narrow slots 32, 34 and 36 aremolded in the tapered body 16 and extend from. about a mid-point 38 ofthe body 16 to the front end wall 18. In 'fact, and as can be seen bestin FIG. 4, the slots 32, 34, preferably extend through spacedcircumterential portions of the front end wall 18 to form front-endopenings 40, 42 and '44 which communicate with the respective slots 32,34 and 36.

V Ascan be seen in FIG. 5, when the tubular container 12 is squeezed byapplying pressure thereon, such as is indicated by the arrows t8, thepaste like material 50 is squeezed out of the neck 14 of the container12 and into the tapered body 16 where it passes radially outwardly ofthe slots 32, 34 and 36 and forwardly of the body 16 through thefront-end openings 40, 4 2 and 44. The closest to the mid-point 38 ortrailing ends of the slots 32, 34, 36 than the material is, the greaterthe amount of material would be normally dispense-d; and progressivelyless material is dispensed towards the front ends of the slots 32, 34,36.

'In order to assure that sutficient paste lilte material will passforwardly of the dispenser, a modified form of the invention may beemployed as shown in FIG. 6 in which the central dispensing opening 60is formed in the end wall 62 of th e bodyo-t, the body being providedwith suitable slots as at 66, 68, etc. Alternatively, slots 70 of theconfiguration shown in FIG. 7 may be provided in the tapered dispenserbody 72 which slots 70* are formed in the tapered body 72 during themolding thereof. The slots 74 are tapered inversely with respect to thetaper on the body 72 so that the narrowest portion 74- of the slot 70 isat the trailing end adjacent the mid-point 76 of the-body 72 while thewidest portion .78 is at the leading end open through the front end wall86 of the'body 72.

As can be readily understood in the embodiment of V FIG.-7, because theopening is greatestat the'front end wal-l'80, paste-like material may bedelivered in a substantially equal amount along the length of the slots79 due to the fact that even though the pressure is reduced adjacent theend wall, more material can be fed at this point due to the increasedwidth of the slot or slots.

From a consideration of the foregoing illustrative embodiments, it willbe appreciated that the present invention provides an improved dispenserwhich is economical to manufacture and has the previously mentionedadvantages over prior art devices.

One further advantage of this slotted type of dispenser over dispensershaving a series of holes or apertures therein is that the paste-likematerial is fed in annularly spaced sheets or films which willsubstantially cover the entire length of the slotted portions of thedispenser body thereby providing more complete coverage for the effectedareas onto which the paste-like material is being dispensed. Further,rotation of the dispenser will cause a wiping action and ensuresubstantially uniform application over the entire surfacesbeing treated.

A latitude of modification, substitution and change is intended in theforegoing disclosure and in some instances some features of theinvention will be used without the use of'other corresponding (features.Accordingly, the claims herein should be construed broadly and in amanner consistent with the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A dispenser for use with a'squeezable container of paste materialcomprising a hollow elongated tapered body having a front end wall atone end thereof and having an entry opening at the other end thereof,means at said other end for attaching said body to a container, saidbody having a plurality of annularly spaced elongated slots therein,said slots being tapered so as to be widest adjacent said front endwall.

2. A dispenser of molded plastic material comprising a hollow elongatedconical body for insertion into a body cavity, threaded means at oneend. of said body for threadedly attaching said body to a container ofpaste material, means integrally formed with said body and extendingnormal thereto for facilitating rotation of said dispenser relative to acontainer to threadedly attach and detach said dispenser, said bodyhaving a plurality of annularly spaced elongated slots therein, saidslots being tapered so as to be widest at the narrowmost par-t of saidbody.

3. A dispenser for use with a squeezable container of paste materialcomprising a hollow elongated tapered body having a front end wall atone end thereof and having an entry opening at the other end thereof,means at said other end for attaching said body to a container, saidbody having a plurality of annularly spaced elongated slots therein,said slots extending through said front end wall, said slots beingtapered so as to be widest adjacent said front end wall.

4. A dispenser for use with a squeezable container of paste materialcomprising a hollow elongated body of molded plastic material, said bodyhaving an open rear end and a front end wall, said body being taperedand narrowing from said rear end toward said front end wall, means atsaid rear end for attaching said body to a container, said body having aplurality of annularly spaced elongated slots therein, said slotsextending substantially half the length of said body and being disposedadjacent said front end wall.

5. A dispenser for use with a squeezable container of paste materialcomprising a hollow elongated body of molded plastic material, said bodyhaving an open rear end and a front end wall, said body being taperedand narrowing from said rear end toward said front end wall, means atsaid rear end for attaching said body to a container, said body having aplurality of annularly spaced elongated slots therein, said slotsextending substantially half the length of said body and being disposedadjacent said front end wall, said slots extending through said frontend wall.

6. A dispenser for paste material comprising a squeezable'container, ahollow elongated conical body for in sertion into a body cavity,threaded means at one end of said body for threadedly attaching saidbody to said container, said body having a front end wall and beingnarrowmost at said front end wall, said body having a plurality ofannularly spaced elongated slots therein, said slots extendingsubstantially half the'length of said body and extending through saidfront end wall, said slots being tapered so as to be widest at thenarrowmost part of said body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,664,088 Hoch Dec. 29, 1953 2,767,712 Waterman Oct. 23, 1956 72,990,563 Davidson July 4, 1 961

1. A DISPENSER FOR USE WITH A SQUEEZABLE CONTAINER OF PASTE MATERIALCOMPRISING A HOLLOW ELONGATED TAPERED BODY HAVING A FRONT END WALL ATONE END THEREOF AND HAVING AN ENTRY OPENING AT THE OTHER END THEREOF,MEANS AT SAID OTHER END FOR ATTACHING SAID BODY TO A CONTAINER, SAIDBODY HAVING A PLURALITY OF ANNULARLY SPACED ELONGATED SLOTS THEREIN,SAID SLOTS BEING TAPERED SO AS TO BE WIDEST ADJACENT SAID FRONT ENDWALL.